About

Established in 2011, Özyeğin University Faculty of Law aims to educate graduates who make a difference both nationally and internationally, and in the public and private sectors, in line with its vision and mission since its foundation. With its qualified academic staff who are experts and highly experienced in their fields, as well as a competent administrative team, the Faculty is also committed to sharing the knowledge it produces with relevant partners.

The Faculty aims to educate graduates who:
– Can provide contemporary responses to developments and challenges in the legal world,
– Possess knowledge and experience in national, international, and comparative law,
– Are competent in both theoretical and practical aspects of law,
– Have internalized the future transformation of law today,
– Believe in justice, respect human rights, and work on a rights-based approach,
– Are fully equipped with international and comparative law knowledge,
– Have strong reasoning skills developed through participation in Moot Courts,
– Are specialized in emerging areas of law,
– Engage with the highest-level institutions of the legal system,
– Gain field experience through Legal Clinics before graduation,
– Achieve specialization through elective course modules tailored to their interests,
– Understand the perspectives of all branches of the judiciary during their education,
– Participate in international seminars and certificate programs,
– And acquire experience in rights-based legal practice through our labs: such as the Interdisciplinary Rights of the Child Lab, Özyeğin University Innovative Legal Lab, Özyeğin University Connect Legal Lab and Özyeğin University Violence and Law Lab.

With our dedicated academic staff and indispensable administrative team who work tirelessly to make lex ferenda a lived reality, we are committed to fulfilling this mission by embracing Özyeğin University’s vision and mission and conveying our shared ideals to society.

Curriculum
Özyeğin University Faculty of Law makes a difference with its curriculum that includes national and international comparative law programs, with a focus on elective foreign language education, newly designed specialization courses, and diverse areas of legal expertise.

In the Undergraduate Program, students must complete a minimum of 240 ECTS credits with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00 in order to be eligible for graduation. This graduation requirement is fulfilled through a combination of compulsory courses, elective courses, certificate and internship obligations.

Students can fulfill their elective course requirements through both in-faculty and out-of-faculty electives. Elective courses are offered in both Turkish and English. While the primary language of instruction in the program is Turkish, students who meet the language proficiency requirements may choose elective courses in a foreign language.

The compulsory courses Judicial Process and Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods, as well as the elective courses Case Law Readings, Social Responsibility and Law, and Project Cycle, have been integrated into the curriculum and by defining areas of specialization and offering complementary elective courses in those areas, the program enables students to gain focused expertise during their undergraduate studies. Upon completion, students receive a certificate of specialization, equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to enter the profession with confidence and competence.

Certificate Courses
Certificate courses are specially designed lectures offered in either Private Law or Public Law fields. These courses are delivered by subject-matter experts, with a different instructor each week, depending on the specific theme of the certificate. To be eligible for graduation, students are required to successfully complete at least one certificate course.

Internship
Another graduation requirement is the completion of an internship. This internship, which must be carried out during a period when students have no course or exam obligations, consists of a total of 40 working days.
Through this experience, students have the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in real legal environments before graduation.

Moot Courts
Within the campus, the Faculty of Law features two fully equipped courtrooms and Legal Clinics designed for practical legal training. The courtrooms are arranged according to two different legal traditions: one follows the Continental European legal system, while the other is based on the Anglo-Saxon legal system.
Faculty students engage in hands-on legal practice by working on assigned cases and reenacting them in these courtrooms. Supervised by academic staff, these experiential settings enhance students’ abilities in multidimensional analysis and legal reasoning.

Legal Clinics
The Legal Clinics have become actively operational, and a wide range of initiatives have been carried out in collaboration with our pioneering faculty members and volunteer students in expanded areas.
As a practice-oriented educational model, the Legal Clinics aim to enhance students’ skills and ethical awareness while providing them with hands-on field experience. Offered as a credit-bearing course, the program covers topics such as critical thinking, the judicial field, access to justice, legal ethics, legal problem-solving, drafting and presenting legal opinions, and interview techniques, all delivered through interactive teaching methods. In cooperation with official institutions and civil society organizations, students engage in activities that aim to strengthen access to justice for individuals. Through this experience, students not only apply their theoretical legal knowledge and gain field experience, but also make a meaningful social contribution.

Fictional Law Office
As part of the curriculum, a “Fictional Law Office” is organized each semester in various areas of law. Some of the students who have participated in this training have subsequently secured internship opportunities at the institutions involved.

Academic Events
Our Faculty places strong emphasis on practice-oriented programs and projects to enrich students’ educational experience, broaden their perspectives, and best prepare them for life after graduation. In this regard, a variety of events have been organized to foster communication both within and across disciplines. These include conferences, panels, and seminars featuring guests from within the university as well as from other institutions.
Through these seminars and activities, students have developed their academic and professional formation by engaging in tasks such as preparing scientific studies, learning and improving research methods, writing articles, translating legal texts into foreign languages, and participating in academic conferences and debates. They have also benefited from educational visits to foreign universities, judicial institutions, prisons, and courts, and have had opportunities to engage with experts in these environments.
Additionally, they have attended lectures delivered by important foreign academics or legal practitioners such as judges, lawyers, or prosecutors. By exploring international academic and professional opportunities, students have gained valuable insight into career planning and broadened their professional vision.

International Competitions
By preparing and supporting our students for international competitions, we enable them to gain valuable experience at the international level.

Career Opportunities
Özyeğin University Faculty of Law aims to offer its students internship opportunities at leading law firms starting from the preparatory year. For students wishing to benefit from these internship opportunities both in Türkiye and abroad, criteria such as academic performance and language proficiency are taken into account during the selection process. Students who benefit from these opportunities of the university gain a significant advantage in their professional preparation. Completing a mandatory internship of at least two months is a graduation requirement for all students.
Graduates of the Faculty of Law can pursue careers in a wide range of fields, including becoming lawyers, judges, prosecutors, or notaries. Before entering the profession, they are required to pass the Legal Professions Entrance Exam and complete the necessary procedures associated with their chosen career paths, such as mandatory internships and additional state-mandated exams.